I'll Take Care of You
by MoonlightGardenias
Summary: Oneshot, PostWalk On Water. What I think or see should happen afterward. MerDer. May or may not contain SPOILERS


**Author's Note: So, If you haven't seen the episode 'Walk On Water' (the one that aired originally February 8), I don't want to spoil it for you. But basically, I was going insane after the cliffhanger ending, and therefore had to write something. So basically, this is a MerDer oneshot. The reason why I didn't post it in the _This Everyday Love_ thread is because this is more spoiler-oriented, whereas those aren't, and I didn't want to tag it because of one simple one. That, and I thought that it would be longer so, in any case...enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I in no way own Grey's, so please don't sue. I merely like to take the characters out to play.**

* * *

Derek stared at his watch, calculating the minutes. He looked up, his eyes darting back and forth between the triage tent, the now smoldering ferry boat, and the patients absent-mindedly walking around. Bailey had asked for Meredith, and since then he had a sick feeling in his stomach. He had seen George twice since Bailey had asked where she was, but still, he couldn't find Meredith. 

But then his eyes found a flash of very bright, very scared little eyes across the lot. Jumping in to a sprint, he approached the little girl. "Are you okay?"

She numbly shook her head, staring into his eyes.

Sighing, Derek kneeled before her, his hand firm on her shoulder. "We're going to take care of you, okay? You remember the doctor lady that you were just with?"

The little girl nodded, still not speaking.

Derek nodded, swallowing. "Do you know where she is?"

Tears welled into her eyes, turning towards the water.

Frowning, Derek held her hand, and was led to a man laying on the ground. "Was she helping this man?"

"Uh-huh."She managed to say. "And then she-"

It was then that Derek saw her jacket laying on top of the man. Staring towards the water, he saw a flash of blue, causing his knees to go weak.

"She...She fell in. I-I tried to call for help, but-"The man said, struggling to regain control.

"It's fine, sir. I'll get someone over to take you to the hospital right away."Derek assured him, looking around. He spotted George walking past and instantly called for him. "Excuse me, George-I need you to get this man back to the triage tent-have him reexamined. He needs to be on the next ambulance to SGH."

"Fine, Sir. Doctor Shepherd. But shouldn't you-"

"I can't, okay? Just-"He said, staring at the girl standing beside him. "Take her."He said, throwing off his coat.

"Whoa, hold it. What are you doing?"George asked, growing worried.

"Listen to me, okay? Meredith...she's down there."

"What? Somebody-"

"Not somebody, O'Malley. Just watch the girl."He said, and before he could stop himself, before he could think about it, the part of him that belonged to Meredith jumped in after her.

The cold water surrounded him as he dove deeper. He released part of his breath, bubbles exiting his mouth. Searching around, he saw her, and in a split second, he managed to grasp her by the waist, swimming up. Derek knew he was losing air, and that any extra seconds he spent under water he was losing time. He pulled her closer, hoping for anything other than what was racing through his mind.

By the time he reached the surface, several doctors surrounded the area, and the man had been taken safely to an ambulance. George stood a little way off, still watching the little girl.

"Come on...she's cold. We need, we need-"

"Shepherd, you went in there, okay? You need to get back, too."George said, knowing he shouldn't risk the way he was speaking.

He was staring down at her, and it still didn't seem real. She was cold, pale, from what Derek could feel, she had a pulse, but it had clearly dropped. "I'm not going back without Meredith. She needs-She needs to wake up, O'Malley. Just-"Derek stopped, his knee digging into the gravel on the ground. He winced a little, but ignored the pain. "Just help one of these men, okay? Save lives. Where the hell is Stevens?"

"I don't know."George replied. "I saw her heading with a man a little while ago. I haven't seen her since."

Derek sighed, tears stinging his already frostbitten face. "I have to _save_ her." He said, trying his best to attempt CPR. Tears mixed with frustration, trying to regain her. "Come on..."He grumbled, trying again.

It was soft. Quiet. But it was there. A mere grumble. A breath was slowly released, and it was then that he knew. She'd be okay, but time mattered. Meredith coughed a little, still struggling.

"See? See, she's-"

"Doctor Shepherd? We need to get her back to the tent. She needs to get warm before hypothermia sets in or...something."A nearby doctor said, kneeling down next to them.

Derek nodded, sensing something. A sudden warmth. It wasn't anything, a slight change that could easily have been changed by a shift in temperature. He picked her up, in the direction of the tents. "Stay with me."He muttered.

"Shepherd?"Bailey asked, hurrying towards them.

"You're back?"

"Yeah, Chief's ordering a new round soon. Oh my..."She stopped, staring at the woman in Derek's arms. "What happened to her? She's...Is she even concious?"

"I don't know, okay? I don't know. I went to find her after she left, and some little girl pointed to where she had fallen. Now please-"

"You dove in after her? Derek Sh-"

"Miranda?"Derek said, exasperated. "That water...was freezing. Chances are her body temperature is dropping. I need to get her treated, okay?"

Surprised, but understanding, Bailey grabbed his arm. "You need to head back with the next ambulance. You don't need to be standing out here in temperatures god knows how cold...not to mention the fact that you're soakin'-"

She started coughing, water slowly spewing up towards him. "Unh..."

"Meredith..."Derek muttered, setting her down on a mat. "Hey. Mer, it's-"

"Shepherd..."Bailey warned.

Derek's eyes shot up to her, hands across Meredith. "I'm not leaving until I know she's okay."

"C-Cold...What hap..."Meredith stopped, taking in the sights around her. She started coughing, feeling a burn in her lungs.

"Shh, you're gonna be okay."Derek replied, feeling a sudden sense of relief.

Meredith, still unsure of what was happening, slowly came to terms with reality. "I was...I was helping-"She said, clenching Derek's hand. "The man-"

"Is fine. Now, please-"Derek pleaded, watching a trasporter nearby. "We gotta get her back."

"But the little girl..I promised-"

"Mer...you were under water for...I don't even know how long. Look at you, you're freezing."

"But, I-"She stopped, wind brushing past them.

Derek looked around and spotted the girl to which Meredith had referred to standing obediently nearby. "See? She's okay, Meredith. You can't help her if you aren't safe yourself."

Meredith nodded, feeling Derek's now ice-like scrub top. She knitted her brow, heartbeat still ringing in her ears.

Without her saying anything, Derek knew what she wanted to ask. "Yeah. Yeah, I did."He replied, starting to shiver himeself. He swore it was nothing, he swore he could stand it. He'd have to wait he told himself. Meredith was more important.

"You should get back, Shepherd. The second wave's already been sent. Most of the living are gone now, they're combing the area."Bailey confirmed, seeing how he was trying his best to shield Meredith.

"I'm fine, Derek. I just need to-"

"You're not fine. You hit your head on the way down. Not only that, but Mer-You're turning blue. Let me take care of-"

"I wasn't trying to drown myself."Meredith said plainly, fighting back the signs of what she was feeling.

"What?"Derek said, realizing what she was referring to. "Mer, that doesn't-That doesn't matter now, okay? I just need to make sure that you're okay. You hit your head-you've got a few cuts and there's-"He said, half cradling her, half letting her rest on the ground. "There's a little blood. You could have a concussion or worse. Just please. Let me take care of you."

She wet her trembling lips, watching as he slowly and carefully lifted her, placing her on the nearby stretcher.

"Derek-"She pleaded.

"Mer, please-"

"When I said..."Meredith said, squeezing his hand. "When I said I didn't want to get married-It wasn't...it wasn't because I don't want to get married. Because I do. Someday. To you. But I-my mom...and then the ferry boat. And I just-"She stopped, Derek hand firm on her forehead.

"Hey. It's fine. I understand."He replied, managing to give her a smile. Sirens echoed out through the air, bringing him back to reailty. He nodded, drawing a deep breath. "Someday."Derek turned towards Miranda Bailey who had watched, albeit not very patiently. "I'll be back as soon as I can. Hold down the fort, will you?"

"Right. Okay."Bailey said, knowing that in the midst of everything he was still her boss. "Take care of Grey. Everything that's going on right now, she doesn't need this."

Derek nodded, his blue eyes shining with conviction. "I went into the water, didn't I? I can't lose her."He said, jumping into the back of the ambulance. "Your intern is in very capable hands, Doctor Bailey."

* * *

Hypothermia. Mild at best, and even though it was barely there-Meredith had only been under water for a few minutes, it was still there. She was shivering, cold. Nursing a cup of coffee, a light blanket around her, Meredith was trying her best to remain warm. She was slowly coming to terms with what had happened. She remembered the fall, but hardly anything afterwards. Until she saw Derek, hovering over her. Except that, for the second time that day, he was worried about about her, but that time-that time he seemed more worried.

She remembered what she said, the whole marriage thing. Meredith wasn't entirely sure why he had asked her the first time, and was almost certain that it wasn't considered a proposal. But still. He had thought about it.

"Hey-"Derek said, walking towards her. "So I'm heading back soon. They've got a few more survivors. And the girl? They found her mother. She's here at the hospital."

Meredith nodded, her hair hanging in strings, some still plastered to her face. Her fingers were wound tightly around her cup as she stared into his eyes. It was crazy, how after everything they still wound up together. How in the midst of such tradgedy something good was still happening. She thought of Ellis, still in the hospital. "That's good."

"Yeah."He said, nodding.

"So,uh-You're warm now?"She asked.

"Yeah, yeah I am."Derek said, leaning against the wall with her. He had managed to quickly change into a new set of scrubs, but his hair still remained tousled. "Just-"He said, trying to choose his words carefully. "Just promise me something."

Meredith nodded her assurance.

"Don't ever scare me like that again. When I saw you under the water I just...I jumped into action. All that mattered was that you were okay."

They both stared, neither knowing what to say.

"And you're okay?"

Meredith nodded, taking a sip of her coffee.

Knowing the risks, knowing that he was scheduled to go back, he leaned in to kiss her. He wanted her to know, he wanted to _show_ her that everything was going to be okay. He stared into his eyes, breath hot on her skin. Swallowing, Derek knew what he had to say. "Someday, huh?"

Meredith cracked a smile. "Someday. I love you."

Derek nodded, for the first time that day happiness evident in his eyes. "I love you, too."

"Shepherd-"Chief called. "We got another transport ready to go to the scene..you're still going. Because honestly, if you're even showing signs of-"

"I'm not. I'm fine."Derek insisted.

Staring at the both of them, Chief Webber nodded. "Okay. And Meredith? Your mother is asking for you. You sure you can handle being here?"

Meredith darted her eyes back between Derek and the Chief. "Yeah. Well, No. But she's my mother."

"You sure you can do this, Mer? Do you need me?"Derek asked.

She looked back at him, his arm still around her. "Derek..."She warned.

He nodded, knowing what she meant. He started to head off, almost in a sprint.

"Derek?"Meredith said, standing in the middle of the hallway.

Spinning around, Derek's eyes remained hopeful.

Meredith wet her lips, sighing. "Someday."

Derek nodded, waving. It wasn't much. It wasn't a proposal. It wasn't some sort of hidden language. But it meant something. He smiled to himself, prepared to go back to the scene. He climbed aboard, sighing. Knowing he'd need reassurance, he huddled close to himself knowing that, for once-_Someday _would be enough.


End file.
